Dust guard and seal assembly



mais, 1931.N

`L .;A. RowE" l"DUST GUARD AND SEAL ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 1:5, 195e 2 sheets-sheet 1 mlmb v 28,1937.` L, A, RowE v2,103,555

DUSI."A GUARD AND SEAL ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 15, 1956 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Dec. 28 `1937 f UNITED-STAT Es PATENT ori-ics N "DUST `GUARD AND SEAL ASSEMBLY` lmwrence A. Rowe, .oak Park, 1u., assigner u MacLean-Fogg Lock Nut Company, Chicago,

Ill., a corporation of Illinois l,

Application January 13, 193s, semiNo. 58,825

voisins. (crass-4s) Oneof the objects of the present invention is the provision of an improved `guard assembly "which `isfnot only'adapted to exclude dust from the journal box of arailway car, but which `is adapted to exclude `water `that might gain en- 'trance to the box under ordinary conditions of offlan improved guard assembly which is better service and care of the car,"such as, for example,

Vwhenlthe car is subjected to `its usual washing.

"The dust guard housing provided withan ordinary journal box usually has a, relatively rough surface, th'e cavity in the housing being formed box, and one of theobjects of the present inventionis` the`provision of an improved guard assemblyfincluding'means for effecting asub- `stantially water-tight seal between the rough inner surface ofthe dust guard 'assembly and the dust guard housing. i

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved'` guardrper se` which is adapted to eifect a substantiallyr water-tight joint between `the rotating yjournal of the railway car wheels and the dust guard assembly so as toexclude waterwhich might enter the journal box during a washingoperation'.

Another object of the invention is the improvement and modification `of the floating dust guard @assembly of the type covered by my prior application in such manner that all ofthe parts or layers-of the assembly are adapted-to be forced l into resilient slidingcontactwith the adjacent layers' orfmoving parts so that all of the parts of the assembly are `adapted to exclude substantially all moisture or waterfwhich might otherwise enter between the various'plates or layers of l .the assembly during a washing operation, or extreme weather conditions.

Another object `of the invention is the provision `adapted to exclude dust as. well as' water,` and which," iftdesired, may bemade into a substan- `tiallyliquid-tight seal by f suitable impregnation 50"or grease packing of the parts of the guard assembly `in the dust guard housing.

' Another object of the invention is the provision `of an improved water-tightdust guard assembly which `is adapted to be used in the ordinary'rough dust guard housing without any necessity for throughout the several views.V by a curing operation in the casting ofthe journal l pressible material of the machining any of theparts of the standard hous- "ings now in use on ordinary railway cars so that the'present device may be successfully applied to existing railway cars` without modification of either the device or existing car structure and with results that cannot be accomplished by any of the devices of the prior art. l

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple, sturdy, economical guard assembly Vand seal adapted to provide a better sealing connection between the rotating'journal andthe journal box of railway cars `than the devices of the prior art. Other objectsand advantages of and the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the line passingthrough Vthe axis oi a railway car journal, showing the complete installation;

` l the invention 4 will be apparent from the following description iii) Fig. 2 isV a front or outside elevational viewof `the guard assembly:

Fig.- 3 is a fragmentary sectional view,` taken l on the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 2,`showing the details of construction-oi' the guard assembly Fig. 4 is avertical sectionalview, taken. on the `plane of the line which passes vertically through the dust guard"housing and through the axis of the journal; Y

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the guard o Fig. 6 is 'a sectional view, taken on the plane with parts of the middle broken away; l

Fig. 7 is a'view in perspective of the'housing sealing gasket per se, as seen from the right side of Fig. 4; f i i I I l Fig. `8 is a fragmentary sectional viewof a modiiied mode of attaching the felt or other comgasket to its supporting plate; f

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on the same plane as Fig. '4, through the lower part of a modification in which two gaskets are employed; and Y Fig. 10 is a similar fragmentary sectional view.'taken on the same plane, of the upper part of the same modification.`

It has already been pointed out in detail in my prior application, referred to above, that in the devices of the prior art the wooden dust guards which are disposed in the dust guard well or housing are apt to be crushed at the bottom when the journal box is jacked up and that the common wooden plug or wedge which was used for a closure of the dust guard well is apt to be kicked out of the dust guard well by movement of the guard.

The present guard assembly has all of the advantages of the floating dust guard structure of the application referred to, and has the additional advantage of providing a better seal for the space between the journal and journal box so as to substantially exclude water when the car is washed. l

The devices which will be described herein have been subjected to prolonged test by playing the water under pressure from a hose on the journal between the wheel and journal box for a considerable length of time, without penetration of vthe water to the journal box. Of course, the

assembly is also better adapted to exclude dust and other foreign matter from the journal box by virtue of its more effective seal and the improved structure of all of the elements of the assembly throughout.

Referring to Fig. 1, III indicates in its entirety the dust guard assembly, which is disposed in the conventional dust guard well II. The conventional parts of the railway car are the journal box I2, journal I3, bearing I4, and wedge I5. The inner end of the journal box I2 is provided by a pair oi' walls I8, I1 which form the walls of the dust guard well I I, and these walls are provided with enlarged apertures I8, I8, respectively, for passing the enlarged part 8 of the journal I3.

The guard 28 may be constructed of any suitable non-abrasive material, such as wood, bearing metals, cellulose by-products, wall boards, fabrics, leatheror the like; but I prefer to construct the dust guard body of a liber board which may be manufactured of suitable masticated leather `which is formed into a board.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be noted that the guard per se 28 has a body which is substantially rectangular in form, but is provided with a cutout portion at the corners 2|, 22 and with the circular end 23 which corresponds substantially to the shape o1' the dust guard well, but has its edges spaced from the walls of the dust guard wall so as to permit a floatingr movement of the guard. Thus the guard 20 has a pair of vertical straight side walls 24, 25 a at top 26, and the circular bottom 23. It is provided with an aperture 24' that is substantially concentric with the curved boundary 23, and which is enlarged in the fiber board or other stiff body of the guard with respect to the size of the journal part 8.

I prefer to construct the guard of a pair of pieces of the ply-board described, each piece having its enlarged aperture 21 and the two plyboard layers being provided with a flexible sealing member sandwiched between the ply-board layers and secured to the ply-board.

For example, the flexible sealing member 28 may consist of an annulus of oil tanned flexible leather of suitable quality which is of sufficient width so that its outer edge extends well between the two layers 29-36 of fiber board and so that its inner edge has a diameter substantially less than the outer diameter of the journal part 9.

In some embodiments of the invention the flexible leather seal 28 may be preformed with a cylindrical flange 3| for engaging the journal part 8 and with a radially extending flange 3'2 for securement between the fiber board members 29, 30 (Fig. 6).

Any suitable mode of securing these three members may be employed, such as cementing, riveting, stapling, or the like, and the securing members of metal or other material are preferably embedded in the surface of the fiber board j so as not to interfere with the provision of a tight seal between the exterior surface of the fiber board and the plates which it slidably engages. I prefer to use the wire staples or clips 33, which are of substantially U shape, except j that after the two legs have been passed through the fiber board 29, 30 and the leather flange 32, these legs are bent over toward each other on the opposite side of the guard.

The exterior outline of the dust guard 20 per se may take various shapes, but in order to accommodate the guard to provide space for the securing devices which hold the plates of the cover and dust guard assembly together, the guard is cut out at 2I and 22 to form the partially rectangular recesses shown, and provide suitable clearance between this guard and the securing devices so that the guard may have the floating action desired.

In some embodimentsof the invention a seal which is sufficiently close may be secured by a close fit of the apertures 21 in the guard body about the journal part 9, or in some embodiments of the invention the present guard assembly might be utilized with the guard described in my prior application referred to. I prefer to utilize a' guard with ,such a flexible leather seal which may be beveled at its cylindrical flange, if desired, to provide a relatively thin lip 34 engaging the journal part 8 and tending to be drawn into closer engagement with the journal by application of any pressure or force from the side toward which said lip extends.

Other flexible sealing materials which may be employed are impregnated fabrics, rubber, impregnated papers, felt, or the like, but leather is preferred on account of its capacity for long wear and its effective sealing action.

The present guard 20 is thinner than most of the devices of the prior art for the purpose of providing suitable space in the dust guard well for a gasket to seal the space between the guard .assembly and the outer wall of the well and to provide space for the resilient members which compress this gasket and keep the parts oi the assembly in tight sealing and sliding relation with respect to each other.

The guard 20, which may also be termed a seal, is slidably mounted between a pair of metal plates 35, 36. The plates 35, 36 are of substantially the same shape as the guard 20, but the apertures 31, 38 in these plates are larger with respect to the journal portion 8 than the aperture in the guard, since the guard is intended to seal and close the space between the floating plates 35, 36 and the journal part 8, and it is desired to keep the plates 35. 36 out of contact with the journal.

Thus the plates 35, 36 are each provided with the circular end portion 38, two straight sides 40, 4I, and the straight upper end 42. These plates are preferably so arranged that they have a sliding or floating action with respect to a cover member 43, but the cover is preferably attached l0 the plates so that the cover cannot be removed e without ,removing `the plates.

Furthermore,

b `there isno possibility of the cover being comin the `straight side walls 46, 4I and surrounding l fried by thecover assembly 43. on all sides, so

l, that theseplatesinay move upward ward or` laterally with respect b in they plate apertures, 36.

pletely forced 4from the top action of the b plates orremoved in any way without rst removing` thejournal from its position The platesaass areftherefore, substantially rectangular grooves,` 46 located therivets 46, 41 and their spacers 48, 49.` The walls of these rectangular grooves 44, 45 are spaced from the rivet spacers which are car or down-` 3jiilatesfluiving such floating action asis imposed e upon "them by the engagement of the Vguard 26 f spacers 6I, it being understood that the spacers e "6Ifare tubular provided for the plates 36, 36 `by furtherrivets and spacers 62, 63 located adjacent the upper end ofthe plates 35, 36, but slightly spaced therefrom'and located in the cutr-outvportions fil', 22 of a guard `ZI). A

b The rivets and spacers 62, 63 also actas stop members for engaging the edges 64 of the guard and preventing, rotation of the guard on the journal. These particular rivets and spacers also act as stops and permit the guard 20 to cause floating action` `of the plates 36, 36 with respect "to the cover assembly 43, this actionof the Mapplication,

' at the sides provided between plates being limited by the clearance which is the rivets and spacers 46-49 and the grooves 44, 46. i Y Y Intheguard `assemblies described inJ my prior vadditionalY securing devices vwere preferablyjprovided'between the plates 35, 36 land bottom of these plates, thereby holding the plates nin engagement wit-h the sides.

of the guard by the action of these securing demfvicesd In the presentembodiment I prefer t3 50 dispense" with further securing devices between the plates 36, 36 below the rivets 62 so that these plates have :a free f spring action at around the" guard 20 and so that the platesimay be resiliently forced into tight sliding engagesembly 43 (Flg, 3) is preferably a. pair of resilient steel members 66. `which com` `merit with the guard 26, even after the guard has shown some wear. l -The guard assembly with resilient means for is preferably provided urging the assemblyinto sealing contact with one of the'wallsof the dust" guardwell,` suchas, for examplathe wall I1. In vorder to accomplish this result the cover asprovided with prise strips of -metal that aresecured` to the sufiiciently to permit the assembly to be forced.

into the well, butforcing all fof the parts of the dust guardassembly over against the right `wall `I1of Fig. lf'to effect asealingt contact lbetween z outer platesI gage the 61 at Vthe top. The spring fingers 65' are bowed out at the middle and may have their lower 'ends 66 engage the plate 66 also,-the lower ends 6B being. bent `out parallel to the plate 66. u The resilient members 66 are'adapted to enof the well by any to the plate being bowed b case of the resilient members 56.

to the cover, the

` towardthe right in 'a cover plate `shape and of sufficient size to close fthe upper end plateV to secure a all points l e plates 56, 63.

Y 4) with laterally .projecting attachment iianges 66 of the cover assembly by rivets all of the parts of the assembly and Vwith that wall.

The floating plate 36 may also be provided with spring 'fingers 59 locatedV near the lower end of e the plate 36 on the sameside` as the spring fingers i l `56. The resilientmembers 59 are also made of provided with spring steel and secured by a pair of rivets 60 36. These resilient members 69 may be made cf 4substantially T shape, the members out again at the middle, and having the end slldablyengaging the plate 36, as in the It will se `noted that the spring fingers 55 are relatively wide and have more surface engagement with thel wall I6 of the dust well II. for the purpose of holding the cover assembly 43 quite securely in the well. The spring fingers 59 are narrower and preferably not so stiff, so that "they permit sliding movement of the plates 36 infthe dust guard while they still urge'the dust guard Fig. l. assembly 43 preferably comprises 6I, which may be of rectangular The cover of the dust guard well overlying both of the walls I6 and providing' suflicient body on thecover l lining of gasket material 62. The gasket or lining 62 may consist of a strip of felt, rubber, sponge rubber, or any other suitable gasket'materialor fabric suitably impreghated, butordinary felt has` been found to accomplish the desired result economically and effectively. This layer of felt 62 is preferably se- `cured tothe under side of the cover plate 6I surrounding a pair of verticalplates`56, 63, by means `of" a plurality of rivets 64.-

The rivets 64 preferably pass through a metal strip 65 as well as the felt 62 and cover plate 6l so that the metal strips 65 may serve to compress and secure the felt to the cover plate 6I', greatly increasing the area of engagement of "the securing devices. The metal plate 651s preferably disposed in` such manner that the exposed felt 62 will come into engagement with the upper edges of the dust guard well walls I6, I1 rather than the metal plate 65, the felt effectively v`sealing this juncture against dust and theA application ofwater as it is used in the cleaning of the car.

` When the cover assembly is applied to the dust guard well, it is pressed down into'the well and held in place by the `spring fingers 65, which engage the wall I6 of the well.

Asprevously stated, the floating plates 3.5, 36 are preferably permanently attached to the` cover assembly 43, and for this purpose the cover plate 6| carries the depending parallel supporting These plates are `provided (Fig.

66 which may be riveted,- welded, or otherwise permanently secured to the cover plate 6I.

` of which the legs ofthe two plates are secured inside of the dust guard `wall I6,l exing 61, and a iiat lower edge 68 y together'inv spaced relation ateach side of the n cover assembly. Rivets and spacers 46-49 also serve as stops, as previously described, to limit the movement `oi the .sliding plates 35, 36, with respect to the cover assembly 43, byjvirtue of the l' edge.

engagement of these rivets with the walls of the grooves 4I, 45.

In order to provide a water-tight seal between the guard assembly and the relatively rough inner surface of the wall I1 of the dust guard well Il. I prefer to provide a gasket 10 between the plate 35 and the wall I1, the gasket being shown in perspective in Fig. 7.

The gasket 10 preferably comprises a metallic supporting body 1 I, which may be used to permit sliding engagement between the gasket and the guard assembly during the insertion of the guard, and the metallic supporting body may carry a layer of compressible gasket material 12, such as rubber, impregnated fabric, or any suitable material, but I prefer ordinary felt, which may be impregnated with suitable oils, grease, or other materials, if desired.

'I'he supporting plate of the gasket may likewise be made of hard rubber, ber board, wood and various stiff non-abrasive materials.

The gasket 10 may have substantially the same external shape in elevation as the guard 20, as will be seen from a comparison of Figs. 5 and 7. It has, however, been provided with a larger oblong opening 13, which corresponds substantially to the size ancl shape of the openings I8 and I3 in the dust guard well walls I6 and I1.

Various external shapes of gaskets may be used, the principal idea being to provide a seal completely about the opening H in the wall I1 of the dust guard well.

The felt 'I2 may be secured to the metal backing 1I in the same manner as the felt is secured to the cover plate 6I; that is, by a plurality of rivets 14 passing through the felt, the plate 1I anda metal washer plate 15, which may also extend completely around the opening 13, but is spaced therefrom.

I prefer to secure the felt by forming a hairpin bend in each edge of the metal supporting plate 1I, thereby providing the plate with a securing flange 16 at each edge, which compresses and clamps the felt at a point adjacent each At its central portion the felt backing bulges or swells outward and is adapted to engage the inner surface of the wall I1, and the felt is so compressed at the iianges 16 that these flanges do not come in contact with the' metal of the dust guard well, the entire contact being between the felt and the wall I1. 'I'he thickness of the felt is such that it is compressed considerably when the guard assembly is inserted in the we1l;- and the felt being under a condition of compact compression, it assumes a substantially impervious condition and conforms itself to the rough inner surface of the wall I1 so as to provide a water-tight seal between the gasket and this wall. In some embodiments ofthe invention plastic'or sponge rubber or any other kind of resilient rubber or rubber impregnated fabric may be vulcanized, cemented or otherwise secured to a metal plate to form a gasket.

The outer side of the metal supporting plate 1I is provided with a flat surface which is adapted to engage the fiat surfaces of the adjacent metal plate 3B, thereby providing a substantially liquidtight joint at this point. Of course, if desired, the joints may be further improved and sealed by the use of a film of oil or grease on the contacting parts.

It should be noted that the upper end of the gasket substantially clears the lower edge 63 of the adjacent plate 42 which depends from the cover plate 43, so that the sealing contact is entirely between the plate 36 and the gasket plate 1I, and the gasket does not interfere with the cover or its depending plates.

The method of assembly of the parts with the dust guard well is as follows: The assembly must, of course, be placed in the well prior to the placing .of the journal box on the journal I3. The gasket 10 is first inserted in the well with its felt surface engaging the inner side of the wall I1. The dust guard or -seal assembly, which may be lifted by means of the cover plate 6I, is then inserted into the dust guard well, the outer surface of the plate 36 sliding against the surface of the gasket plate 1I, which prevents the felt from being torn during this operation ofinsertion. As the guard assembly is forced down into the well, the spring fingers 59 and 55 are compressed, and the felt 12 is compressed, and the resilient plates 35, 36 are forced into close engagement with the sides of the guard 20.

When the cover plate 6I has been forced well down upon the top of the ydust guard well, the parts are in proper position and the cover is held in place by the spring fingers 55, which frictionally engage the walls of the well.

The cylindrical iiange 3| on the leather sealing member of the guard 23 preferably extends away from the Ajournal box I2, that is, toward the wheel, and in order to permit the insertion of the journal I3 a suitable spreader is placed inside of this cylindrical flange 3|, while the journal is inserted, after vwhich the spreader is removed andthe resilient leather flange 3l comes into engagement with the cylindrical part 3 of the car Journal.

Referring to Figs. 9 and 10, these fragmentary sectional views show a modification in which the resilient means for holding the parts of the assembly in close sliding contact may be another gasket similar to the gasket 10. In this embodiment another gasket 30 is inserted on the opposite side of the dust guard well, and the depending fiange 8| on the cover plate is formed like the flange 63 on the opposite side; that is, it is made suiiiciently shorter so that it clears the gaskets instead of being as long as the fiange 56 of Fig. 3. Of course, the spring fingers 53 must be wholly eliminated so that the fiat metal backing of the gasket 30 can engage the plate 36, and the spring fingers 55 on the cover plate may be either eliminated or vplaced far enough to one side adjacent the ends of the cover so as to eliminate any interference between these spring fingers and the gaskets 10 and 80. The use of two gaskets makes a still more nearly perfect seal between the walls of the dust guard well of the assembly.

It will thus be observed that I have invented an improved guard assembly which provides a substantially water-tight seal between the journal and the opening in the journal box surrounding the journal.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a dust guard assembly, the combination of a dust guard comprising a pair of relatively thin sheets having an enlarged aperture for Dassing a railway car journal, said sheets having a sealing member of flexible material secured between them, said sealing member being formed with a centrally located aperture bordered by a cylindricalfiange engaging a cylindrical portion l of a railway car journal, a shiftable housing comprising a pair oi metallic sheet metal plates having enlarged apertures, the apertures being 25, centrally located aperture bordered by a cylindrismaller than the outer'area of said dust'guard whereby the dust guard may shift between said metallic sheets to adapt itself to the position of the railway ear journal, a gasket of yieldable materialengaging the inner wall of a` dust guard welland having a metallic backing slidably engaging oneof said sheets, and means for urging said assembly toward one side oi the dust guard well to' place a compression upon said yieldable gasket and to effect a'water-tight seal between the railway car journal and the dust guard well.

2. In a dust guard assembly, the combination of a dustguard comprisinga `pair of relatively thin sheets having an enlarged aperture for passingv a railway car journal, said sheets having a sealing member of flexible materialsecured between them, said sealing member being formed with a cal ilarige engaging a cylindrical portion of a railwaycar journal, a shiftable housing comprising a pair of`metallic sheet metal plates having enlarged apertures, the apertures being smaller than the outer area of said dust guard whereby the dust guard `may shift between said metallic sheets to adaptitself` to the position of the railway car journal,` a gasket of yieldable material engaging the inner wall of a dust guard well and having a metallic backing slidably engaging one of 'said sheetsyandfmeans for urging said assembly toward one side of the dust guard well to placca compression uponsaid yieldable gasket` and to effect a water-tight seal between the raili way car journal and the dust guard well, said dust guard assembly also comprising a cover member having depending metallic flanges movably mounted on said metal sheets whereby the cover is` secured against being knocked out of y closing relation to said dust guard well.

3. In a guard assembly for railway car journal ,boxes, `the combination of a guard having a liquid-tight sealing connection with a cylindrical part ofl a railway car journal, a pair of resilient metal plates slidably engaging said guard and closing the space between said guard and the edges of the apertures for the railway Ycar journal in 'thejournal box, and a compressible gasket forced into engagement with therough inner wall of the guard well and providing a sealing engagement between said wall andone of said resilient metal plates, said gasket also comprising a supporting metal backing adapted to maintain the shape of the gasket and to' permit sliding engagement between ,one of said'resilient metal plates and the gasket during the insertion of the gasket;

guard assembly, `said resilient means comprising a plurality of lingers for engaging the wall of the well which is opposite to the wall engaged by said 4; In a guard assembly for railway car journal boxes, the combination of a guard having a liquid-tight sealing connection with avcylindrical part of a railway car journal, a pair of resilient metal plates slidably engaging said guard and `closing the space between said guard andthe edges of the apertures for the railway car jour-` nal in the journal box,.and a compressible gasket forced into engagement with the rough inner wall of the guard well and providing a sealing engagement between said wall and one of said resilient metal plates, said assembly comprising a cover having a pair of depending plates movably secured with respect to said resilient plates, and said cover having a sealing gasket material carried by its under side for engaging the top edges of the dust guard well.

5. In a dust guard assembly, the combination of a supporting cover with apair of depending spaced plates carried by the under side of said cover, said plates being provided with a `pair of stop rivets, one located adjacent leach' lateral edge, `and a guard housing comprising a pair of spaced resilient metal plates adapted to be received between the depending platesand having l edge, a guard housing comprising a pair of spaced resilient metal plates adaptedto be received between the depending plates and having stop shoulders formedabout said stop rivets,` said guard housing plates being secured together in spaced relation by suitable securing vmeanslocated adjacent their upper edges, and a guard comprising a suitable supporting body of substantially rigid material having an aperture for passing a carrjournal with a clearance and va flexible sealing member bordering said aperture to engage a rotating part of said and adapted journal.

7. In a dust guard assembly, the `combination of a pair of supporting plates, each plate being adapted to be received in a dust guard well, and

each plate having a resilient sealing material on its outer side, and a dust guard slidably mounted between said plates `and having an aperture for receiving a portion of the carwheel journal, said sealing material comprising sponge rubber vulcanized to said supporting plate.

LAWRENCE A. ROWE. 

